Croydon Advertiser
Ian Holloway: 'I lost my jiggle at Blackpool'
Friday, November 09, 2012
NEW Palace manager Ian Holloway says he "lost his jiggle" at Blackpool and admitted that, for the first time during his reign at Bloomfield Road, he told chairman Karl Oyston he wanted to speak to another club once an approach had been made by the Eagles.
The 49-year-old, who enjoyed a playing career most notably at Bristol Rovers and Queens Park Rangers, feels a new man at the helm will take the Tangerines forward once again.
New Palace manager Ian Holloway says he has a lot of love for Blackpool, but is ready for the next chapter with the Eagles
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"The truth is, Steve Parish phoned my chairman Karl Oyston, and Karl spoke to me like I knew he would," said Holloway.
"For the first time ever, I said I wanted to speak to someone else. The minute you do that, the relationship, whether Karl knew I felt that way or if we actually talked about it, for me, I felt I was letting our fans and players down.
"I didn't have the same jiggle, so to speak – I lost my jiggle a bit. I almost lost it last year but managed to sort my head out, get into the play-off final and I'm not quite sure how much that kicked or hurt me.
"Now I don't feel like that anymore. If I had felt like that there, that would have been a waste of time and I couldn't allow that happen – not for me, not for them, it wouldn't have been fair.
"They're going to get a new manager, who will get life back in that place."
And reflecting back on his time at Blackpool, it's one he looks back on with great fondness, claiming it's "the best trip I've ever been on", but he had to make a career decision.
"I've got a lot of love for that place," he said. "It's hopefully put me back on the map. I've got to be serious here and try to do what I did there again.
"I don't think it was a fluke, but without that opportunity from the chairman Karl Oyston, I would never, ever, ever be at Palace, would I?
"Potential is what you make of it and I think Palace is in a better shape now than it's been in absolute years.
"I've left Blackpool in a better shape than it's been for years and years, and I'm very proud of that.
"If that upset some people, I'm sorry, but I have got to make a decision for me and my career.
"I felt the longer I stayed there, the worse it would be for the team and the fans because I'm not quite sure I believed I could do that again. Palace has now re-energised me, I want to plug myself in the plug socket and away I go, let's see what we can do.
"It's a new chapter, a new story, and for all the people up there, I absolutely loved my time there, it was the best trip I've ever been on and I want to start another one and I'm sorry.
"I'm very, very proud of what I've done for Blackpool Football Club, personally."
Looking ahead to the new chapter in his book, Holloway believes the success he had in the north west has earned him the job at an exciting time with the Eagles, but he also welcomes the pressure that comes with it.
"It's almost as if, and Mick McCarthy and I had a chat about his time at Wolves, it's as if he had to leave out of the back door at Wolves," he added. "How can that be when he got them up as champions and he kept them up? How can that be in our profession sometimes?
"But all I do know is that I can sleep at night because the job I tried to do up there has got me recognition – it's got me bought out of a contract.
"It's not my choice, is it? If Palace have come along and headhunted me, then how is that my fault?
"Let's see if I can be under a bit of pressure to a) lose my job, b) not getting promoted or c) build a club, that even if we lose some of the young ones, which I don't particularly want to do, but I'm not that stupid because I may have to one day. But as long as I can produce other young ones behind them to keep going again, then that's my challenge.
"I'm completely and utterly up for it."
www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Ian-Holloway-lost-jiggle-Blackpool/story-17275130-detail/story.html